The Unsung Promise
by Trinale Porsche
Summary: CHAPTER 1: Every life form has its own regrets. Even Natsume, Ruka, Hotaru, Mikan and Yuka. NatsumeMikanRuka RxR
1. Prologue

**Hello Everyone**. This is my first to actually make a Gakuen Alice fiction so please go easy on me. This fanfic is purely based on the Gakuen Alice Manga which was made by Higuchi Tachibana. This story is my own continuation for the proposal of everyone with Mikan leaving the Academy with her mother Yuka. Anyway, just read and review! :D

**Disclaimer:** Higuchi Tachibana _owns_ Gakuen Alice.

**Reposted.**

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**The Unsung Promise**

**[Prologue]**

"So that's your decision then, huh? Leaving us?"

"Natsume…" Mikan could only stare at him with the same eyes dripping with sorrow. They were now back to the High School Principal's Room after traveling to the past with the help of Noda-sensei.

"I don't mean to be selfish but…If I stay here, everything will worsen! I don't like that. I shouldn't have stepped into this school anyway…"

"Sakura, what are you saying?" Ruka silently asked. All heads turned to him.

"Without you, Natsume would probably still be lacking any zest to live, and Imai wouldn't be smiling, and I… I wouldn't have believed in myself if you haven't stepped foot in this Academy! Aoi wouldn't have gone back home, Ibaragi wouldn't have found a friend!"

Nobara nodded in the corner silently, her eyes concentrated on the brunette. She was clutching the hem of Tono's uniform, her bangs clearly covering her eyes.

"Ruka-pyon…." Her tears were once again streaming. Of course she didn't want to leave, but she had to do this in order to regain the prosperity and serenity the Academy possessed. For her friends to have their peaceful lives once more.

"But if I stay here... Nothing of that won't happen anymore, because, they'll be targeting us... That's for sure."

"What if we don't care?" Natsume said. He was glaring at her, like the first time they met, when he was suspicious about her identity. Mikan stared at him, yet quickly looked away. She could still remember him holding her hand, telling her that if he just had the power to turn into an adult, he would be the one taking her out of the academy. Not Narumi-sensei, not Yuka.

"Stop crying, idiot. What did I tell you about being twice as ugly?"

"Ho-hotaru…"

"Listen, Nogi, Hyuuga. I know you don't want this baka to go, but it's not us that go deciding for that. And, Ms. Azumi haven't seen her daughter since she was a baby, she wasn't even able to experience taking care of this idiot, so as Mikan who never experienced the love of a mother whom I know all of us experienced."

"And besides, in what we've seen, Ms. Azumi proved to be trustworthy and capable of taking care of Mikan. I _believe_ that she will never bring harm to Mikan."

Ruka and Natsume's eyes widened and thought for sometime, looking away. How could have they been selfish? They had no right depriving Mikan with a mother's love. _No right at all._

"Yes…"

Hotaru turned to Mikan, tears now evident in her eyes.

"Now listen baka, not because I'm giving you permission to leave this campus—"Who ever said you were the one giving out permissions?" Tono interrupted, smiling sheepishly—but once this ruckus is over. Once I go back from abroad…Please, _come back_." She gave a small smile. Ruka was now crying yet Natsume stayed impassive.

"I…I will." She gave a tearful smile, and with that, she threw herself on her three companions who where hiding all the sorrow inside as they hugged each other for what seemed to be the last time.

"I will be back. I _promise that._"

Their little moment was interrupted with a cough coming from Jinno-sensei.

"So Sakura-san, are you ready?" He said gently, for the first time, to Mikan. Mikan turned her head to her Math Teacher and nodded. Jinno averted his gaze at someone who had been quite abandoned during the fast flow of events.

It was Yuka Azumi. Mikan's mother.

"Please take care of her, sempai…" Narumi said gently, carrying Mikan on his shoulders.

"I-I will." Yuka stuttered, overwhelmed at the thought of finally being with her daughter. Her daughter with sensei, with Yukihara-sensei.

Narumi smiled and gestured to the door behind Natsume. He put down Mikan, who stared quietly at Yuka. Yuka gave a small smile and held her hand out to her daughter. Mikan took it and gave a small smile too in return. They headed for the door, passing Hotaru, Ruka… She didn't look at them anymore. She feared she might change her mind. …and Natsume.

Yuka opened the door for her, and before she could step in the light,

"_I'll be waiting." _

She didn't know if it was Ruka or Natsume who had said those words. Tears started to fall once again, and she glanced back, her eyes wide.

Tsubasa was waving at her with a teary smile. Jinno was nodding approvingly. The High School Principal was impassive, Misaki-sensei was smiling. Tono was waving at her happily while Nobara called out her name. Hotaru was looking away, still crying. Ruka was also crying, and was following her with his eyes.

And…Natsume was looking at the floor. And Mikan swore she saw a tear fall.

The door behind her closed. A new life was ahead… but this time, she would be with her mother. Her mother, Yuka Azumi, who was smiling at her reassuringly.

**End of Prologue**

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**A/N: Okay, so that's the prologue! Tell me what you think about it! Any suggestion, constructive criticisms are welcome.**

**Review&Review!**

**I badly need someone to BETA for me. *sighs*  
**

**Leave me heartfelt reviews!**

**-Trinale  
**


	2. Where there was regret

Hello, I'm back everyone and thank you for your wonderful reviews. Once again, the world of words never failed to amaze me as I noticed major errors in my writing. Oh well, life is life, you also gotta have to accept errors how big and small they are, and here I go again talking nonsense. Anyway, let's get it on!

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**Chapter 1:**

**Where there was regret**

_Life stores different regrets for every man once they learned to venture back on their own past stories. Some are minor, some are major, and some can be life changing, life-turning or simply non-committal._

"Natsume-san?"

He jerked his head to the voice reluctantly, annoyed that his train of thoughts were disrupted.

"Uhm… you see, the class is holding a booth for the Alice festival… and…" Yuu fidgeted, clearly nervous. Everyone knew Natsume was grumpier than usual ever since Mikan Sakura had left the Academy, though others may have wondered why, few understood the reason behind it.

It seems just like yesterday when he actually burned a bit of Koko's uniform for reading his mind. Seems just like yesterday, burning Sumire's hair for annoying him.

"You know my answer on that." He said shortly, turning his gaze back again to the small Sakura tree who was struggling to grow. It was winter, a bad timing since the tree was still small. There was a big possibility it'll die.

A big, big possibility.

_She also started as a small Sakura tree, didn't she? Growing in the midst of winter. But she struggled and became a beautiful tree once spring daunted…_

_That little girl… Where could she have gone to?_

_Is she safe?_

_Is she okay?_

_Is she hap—_

"I-I thought it's what Mikan-chan would like." Yuu finished off. Natsume was watching the Sakura tree lazily, and his head turned a little when her name was mentioned. His fist clenched and unclenched unconsciously, a prominent scowl was forming.

_Her? Leaving with Yuka Azumi? Impossible. That idiot won't abandon her friends for herself. She just won't. Or was he trying to assure himself?_

_She can't be leaving…_

_It just can't be happening. _

_She's not walking out of that door._

_And, I-I'm not going to cry and let the idiot see.._

_No._

"You don't know what she'd like. You don't know." He said firmly, almost in a monotonous voice but his eyes were full of confusion.

_No one knows what she'd like…_

_No one._

_Not even him._

_Never._

He stood up carelessly and started walking towards the door.

_Why hadn't I understood her?_

"N-natsume-san? W-where are you going?" Yuu asked, his voice shaking. Sumire had watched the scene from the corner of her eyes sharply. She was too afraid to near Natsume in the fear of having her hair burned into crisp again.

Everyone was now staring at Natsume, wondering.

"Hn." Without even giving anyone an answer, he slid out of the door and headed to somewhere, he knew, was her only memoir in the academy.

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"Well, Koko?"

"He-he's going to…her old room." Koko glanced around, knowing that Natsume was nowhere in sight.

_So even the black cat has his own regrets._

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_Ruka sighed, hearing Koko and Sumire's conversation. He was keeping an intent eye on his best mate, and that was all he could do. He too was lost, just like Natsume. Usagi, who was in his hands, was nibbling his fingers affectionately, but Ruka didn't take notice of it, not that he intended to.

It had been a week since Mikan Sakura had left the Academy. Everyone was crestfallen to boot. Everyone knew the school had sent her to another academy, just like Hotaru. But not everyone, because Ruka knew, and everyone present in that Principal Room, that she had left the Academy with her mother Yuka.

Everyone in that Principal Room knew that she had walked out of the door without any regret.

_You're not really a bad guy…_

_Of course._

_No one in their right mind would assume that Ruka Nogi was ever a bad guy._

Was this assurance to himself? He didn't know. Hope? He didn't know. Love? He didn't know.

There was only one thing that Ruka Nogi knew, at that moment.

_He knew that he was lonely._

"H-how about you Nogi-kun? Will you be joining?" He hadn't noticed how Yuu had quickly turned over to his side. Probably he was just too absorbed with his thoughts.

"Of course." He smiled at Yuu.

_It's what she would've wanted. It's how she would've reacted, right?_

_Yes, yes…definitely._

He sighed, and gazed at the empty seat behind him and wondered.

Just wondered.

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"So, Imai Hotaru-chan, this will be your new room." The old man spoke formally, clearing his throat every time he'd speak. The inventor just gazed at him, her eyes blank.

It was a surprise for the principal, of course, seeing he volunteered himself to escort their new student to her new room, after reading her background. Usually, the students presented in his school would have eyes gleaming with excitement, confusion, or even nervousness. But this girl's eyes were blank and steady, just gazing at him.

He cleared his throat once again, and the girl continued to stare at him.

"Er.. do you have any questions?"

"None."

"None at all?"

"None at all."

The principal gave a frustrated sigh in his mind and stared at Hotaru, deciding if he should leave or not already. Hotaru's hand was twitching with annoyance.

_Just leave, old man._

"I, *clears throat*, I must be going. It's a busy day; consider yourself lucky that I am the one who escorted you, Ms. Imai." He said, pouring all the dignity he worked on for 20 steadfast years into his voice. With that, he wheeled around, and left the room.

"Liar."

_Idiot._

Hotaru sighed and studied her new room. Surely she'll have a laboratory to work on, now, right?

She glanced at the far corner of the room, noticing that her luggage was already there, waiting to be unpacked. Still feeling a bit tired, she ignored unpacking and lied on the bed, facing the plain ceiling of her new room. (She'll have to do something about that. She hates plain things.) She thought of all the possibilities in store for her in this new school. After all, Hotaru Imai was everything about profit.

She'll be able to have more funds for her inventions…

She'll probably be able to write to her parents… and maybe even see her parents…

Yes, she'll probably make something to get rid of adult idiots…

Or something that can cook crab recipes very well…

She'll probably just lock herself up in her laboratory with no one to disturb her…

_No idiot to disturb her…_

_None._

_None at all._

She closed her eyes, and before she knew it, she fell asleep.

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"Mikan-chan, you need to eat, you need to—"

"You don't know what I need, or needed." Mikan said in what she tried her hardest to sound cold. She knew she was being unfair, but, she just felt so angry. She didn't know why, but all Mikan could feel was the anger bottled up inside her. She was not yet comfortable with Yuka, and she was missing everyone terribly.

_Narumi-sensei…_

_Iinchou…_

_Permy…_

_Tsubasa and Misaki-sempai…_

_Hotaru…_

_Ruka…_

_Natsume…_

_I miss them all. I miss them all so much._

"Y-you were never there, Jii-chan was the one always there… He was the one who visited the Academy everyday even though he was sick, even though no one would let him inside, he still visited me. What about you? Y-you even stole Yuu's alice, and, and hurt my friends! HOW CAN YOU KNOW WHAT I NEE—"

Slap.

Mikan's eyes widened as the tears that were kept for 11 years started falling. The tears for all the sorrows. She stumbled back to her bed, sitting carelessly.

"It's true." Yuka said calmly, looking at Mikan.

"Huh?"

"It's true that I don't know what you need. Because I was never there, right?"

Mikan could only nod. She knew she had crossed the line. But she deserved it. She had abandoned her, and it was something she would never have done to anyone. She would never abandon anyone.

_But you abandoned you friends…_

_You abandoned them, didn't you?_

"And I'm here… to know what you need. I-I'm _not _sorry that I left you, because I know, it was better that way. You'll be in graver danger if I carried you with me. I didn't want you to take the same path I took when I was at the academy."

"I didn't want you to enter the academy at all."

"I knew you were better off with Jii-chan, I, I knew… I knew it was selfish but it was for the best. Those 11 years, I kne—" But Yuka wasn't able to finish her sentence. She was suddenly engulfed in a warm hug by the daughter she had abandoned for 11 years. By the daughter she had hugged so tightly then, walking in that track of snow, protecting her from the cold…

She didn't even notice she was crying.

_Her fresh new tears after her last cry for Yukihara-sensei._

She didn't notice that she was crying again, after eleven years.

_Mikan… I'm so sorry._

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_Natsume sat in what he knew, was her old bed. The bed she slept on when she was at the academy. He studied the room with his crimson orbs, looking for any trace of her he could find. His gaze stopped at the corner where he had hugged her and comforted her.

"_Natsume? Where have you been?"_

"_I was not planning to see anyone until I find that guy.."_

"_I had a feeling that you were crying alone, and for some reason, I came here."_

And for some reason, he came to her room again.

_For some reason, huh?_

He clenched his fists.

He regretted every single thing.

They regretted.

_Life stores different regrets for every man once they learned to venture back on their own past stories. Some are minor, some are major, and some can be life changing, life-turning or simply non-committal._

_And even Natsume, Ruka, Hotaru, Mikan and Yuka aren't exempted from that._

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So, that's it for chapter One. I'm having trouble in making my chapters long. Anyway. :)

Review and Review!

Leave me heartfelt reviews!

_-Trinale  
_


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